Hongyang (full name: Sang Hongyang, Chinese: 桑弘羊) was a statesman and economist in the Western Han Dynasty, and he held the position of Grand Commandant. To support Emperor Wu’s northern campaign against the Xiongnu, he implemented economic policies aimed at enriching the country and strengthening the military (120 BCE). He advocated for state macro-control over the social economy, with his ideas later recorded in Discourses on Salt and Iron (盐铁论).
According to the Spirit Animal Chronicles, Sang Hongyang was actually a spirit gazelle (Mongolian Gazelle). During the months-long Salt and Iron Conference, he used compelling evidence and sharp rhetoric to silence opposing Confucian scholars, which made him quite proud. However, after one victorious debate, he found himself surrounded by angry Confucians at the venue. In desperation, he cast spells to leap over a wall and escape.
Although such spells existed long before, Hongyang refined the formula through repeated use during the conference months. The Essential Spells for Spirit Animals credits him as the inventor of the “Antelope Jump” in Acrobatic Spells.
(This article will be expanded in the future)
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